Staff Spotlight: Sarah Sugarman
Originally hailing from North Carolina and New Orleans, Sarah Sugarman has lived in Yosemite for the past five years, working as an educator for NatureBridge and the National Park Service (NPS). Sarah currently works at the NatureBridge Yosemite campus as an Educator, Crane Flat Site Manager and the WildLink Program Coordinator. “I love teaching, playing outside, and creating art in many forms,” Sarah says. Working with both NatureBridge and NPS affords Sarah many opportunities to engage in all three of those passions!
My favorite thing about working for NatureBridge is that there is room to constantly grow as an educator, co-worker and individual.Sarah Sugarman, NatureBridge Environmental Science Educator, Crane Flat Site Manager and WildLink Program Coordinator, Yosemite
So what is WildLink? Sarah describes the program this way: “WildLink invites high school students who might otherwise never get the opportunity to spend extended time outside to go on a free backpacking trip in Yosemite. Seeing students experience that for the first time over and over has given me more humility and awe at the beauty and power of the natural world and the youth that we get the opportunity to work with. It constantly challenges me to be a better ally and coworker.”
With tenures volunteering and working with both the National Park Service and Yosemite Conservancy (YC), Sarah reflects that this breadth of experience has made them a better NatureBridge educator. “Last summer, I worked as an Interpretive Ranger in Tuolumne Meadows,” Sarah explains. “Through that job, I grew as a naturalist and an educator and connected more deeply with this place.”
The work that NatureBridge does is still my biggest passion, and I’m glad that it has also inspired me to try out the other incredible work going on in this park. After five years here with NatureBridge, NPS and YC where I teach art classes, I feel integrated into the community in the broadest sense—including the trees, badgers, and birds.Sarah Sugarman, NatureBridge Environmental Science Educator, Crane Flat Site Manager and WildLink Program Coordinator, Yosemite
Reflecting on the unique conditions and challenges of their work within a national park, Sarah recognizes that having a close-knit and supportive team makes a big difference in both the educators’ and students’ experiences. “Yosemite tends to throw us some programmatic curveballs pretty often,” Sarah notes. “Whether it be storms, rockslides, illness, or something else unexpected, I know that there are people looking out for each other’s best interest while also making sure that our students have a positive and impactful experience.” That sounds like the kind of interpersonal connection that NatureBridge programs strive to foster in all our participants! We are grateful for Sarah and the many educators and staff members who support one another and their students as they connect together to the wonder and science of the natural world.
Editor's note: Sarah Sugarman is one of two recipients of the 2023 Bishop-Marcus Award. You can read about the other recipient, Lilly Pearson, here. Congratulations, Sarah and Lilly!
Photo courtesy of Sarah Sugarman
Stories
Fall Reflections from NatureBridge Yosemite
As an environmental science educator, I spend a lot of time teaching about nature, but this season I’ve been finding that as it turns out, nature has a lot to teach us, too. Sometimes I can let the trees, the meadow, and the lichen teach for me. They show us how to respect each other’s boundaries, how to celebrate differences, how to work together, and how to lean on each other’s strengths in order to exist in a new place. These lessons felt incredibly relevant to me heading into the first week of November, a notoriously busy time at NatureBridge Yosemite. I wanted to focus on messages of kindness and inclusivity with my students, I wanted them to feel a sense of belonging in this new space, and I also hoped that they would share those messages with others.
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